


Honesty

by paigeafterpaige



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Monsta X Bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 09:04:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13807974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paigeafterpaige/pseuds/paigeafterpaige
Summary: Minhyuk steps away and leaves the classroom, but not before giving Kihyun a self-satisfied smirk over his shoulder, looking like he knows exactly how he makes Kihyun feel. Which is a great feat, because Kihyun himself doesn't know.





	Honesty

**Author's Note:**

> Feb/March 2018 Monsta X Bingo: enemies/rivals square

There's a small carton of milk on his desk. Kihyun notices this the moment he steps into the empty classroom. Immediately suspicious, he sweeps his gaze over the classroom, from one end to the other. He even goes as far as to squat down to check under the desks. Like he thought, there's no one here. Kihyun's always the first one in his class to come to school in the mornings, so why is there milk on his desk? Who put it there?

He walks back out into the hallway. He spots a girl from another class, but except for her, it's empty.

Kihyun turns back around and approaches his desk in the front row with careful steps. He circles around it once, keeping his eyes on the mysterious milk as if it could jump to life at any moment and attack him. There's nothing written on it, no note, no love letter. He musters up some courage and reaches a hand out to press a finger to it -- still cool. He checks the date on it -- still fresh. This is getting weirder and weirder. No one comes to school early just to give Yoo Kihyun a carton of fresh, cool, note-less milk without an ulterior motive.

He takes a closer look at the milk. It's unopened. It looks like someone just bought it and placed it here. But why? For him to drink? Why? He racks his brain for a reason. Maybe someone mistook his desk for someone else's? Shin Hoseok sits next to him. Did one of his many fangirls want to give the milk to him, but accidentally put it on Kihyun's desk instead? That would make sense. It's happened with love letters before.

As he's contemplating the mystery of the milk, the door opens and Changkyun steps inside, giving Kihyun a small wave.

"Morning," Kihyun greets, smiling at the boy.

"G'mornin," the other mumbles in response. He tiredly flops down at his desk behind Kihyun's. "Why do you have milk?"

That's a good question. Kihyun picks the carton up and turns it in his hand, shrugging. He holds it out to the other boy. "Do you want it?"

A smile slips onto Changkyun's lips as he accepts the milk from Kihyun's hand. "You're not drinking it?"

Kihyun shakes his head no, chuckling as Changkyun opens the milk without waiting for a response. A few moments later, the empty carton is crumpled up in Changkyun's hand, which he raises over his head and aims for the garbage can by the door. He throws it just as the door opens and the carton sails through the air to crash into Jooheon's unsuspecting head.

"Score!" Kihyun yells.

"Three points for player I.M!" Changkyun exclaims, laughing along with Kihyun.

Jooheon stares at them both, then down at the milk carton lying on the floor in front of his feet. He puts a hand up to his hair and rubs at the spot that was hit, giving them a look resembling a kicked puppy. "What was that for?"

Kihyun giggles. "Throw it in the trash, will you?" Jooheon glares at him, but does as he's told before trudging to his desk at the back of the class, sulking all the while.

Soon after the room fills with students and their first class of the day starts. Kihyun loses himself in the fascinating world of mitochondria. The milk is forgotten.

 

During break, Kihyun stands up and stretches by his desk. A hand taps the top of his head and he swivels around, finding himself face-to-face with Lee Minhyuk. He narrows his eyes at the boy, waits for an explanation as to how the boy dares put his filthy hands on his body.

Minhyuk is not intimidated by his glare. "You look live you've grown," he comments with a smile that actually looks kind and it makes warning bells ring in Kihyun's head. Minhyuk's never kind to him, least of all when he comments on his height.

Kihyun's pretty sure he has not -- unfortunately -- grown since the last time he saw Minhyuk -- yesterday -- and he mocked his short height when they were doing chin-ups in PE and Kihyun had trouble reaching the bar. He doesn't tell him this, because he doesn't want to remind him of that moment. Minhyuk doesn't seem to care about his silence as he continues with, "Must be that milk you drank."

It's unusual, but this piques Kihyun's curiosity. "What milk?"

Minhyuk's smile slips for a split second and there's a hint of confusion in his eyes that Kihyun wouldn't have noticed if he wasn't waiting so intently for an explanation. "The milk," Minhyuk says, half question, half statement, as if it should be clear what he's talking about. When he points at Kihyun's desk, he finally remembers about the carton of milk he found there this morning, and which Changkyun drank.

So it turns out Minhyuk gave it to him. The boy had actually been his first guess when he saw the milk, but since it proved to be drinkable (Changkyun is still perfectly fine and hasn't thrown up or died yet) and it wasn't accompanied by some nasty note, he assumed it couldn't have been him.

"Oh, _that _ milk," Kihyun says with emphasis as if finally remembering something important after a long time. He gives Minhyuk an overly sweet smile and Minhyuk's smile lights up in response as he nods encouragingly. Kihyun continues in a sugary tone, "Thank you. Changkyun enjoyed it."

Minhyuk's smile slips completely, his face turning harsh and cold as he steps up into Kihyun's space and glares down at him as if Kihyun just insulted his parents. He seems to almost tower over him as he presses a finger to Kihyun's forehead, hard, and shouts into his face, "Just stay tiny forever you freaking shorty!" He abruptly turns around and storms out of the classroom, Kihyun gaping after him, flabbergasted at Minhyuk's abrupt change in mood.

Only several minutes later does he realize how early Minhyuk must have come to school just to put that milk on his desk for him to drink when he arrived.

 

Kihyun loathes chemistry and it's all Lee Minhyuk's fault. He couldn't believe his incredibly bad luck at the beginning of the semester when the teacher paired them all up and assigned Minhyuk as his partner. It's a well-known fact among the student population that they hate each other, so he's surprised the teacher doesn't know too. Why would she make the two of them sit together in a room full of dangerous chemicals and gas burners? Does she want them to kill each other? It was even more unfair when he found out Changkyun and Jooheon got to pair up, and most of the rest of the class were also paired up with friends.

"The teacher said we're supposed to pour this in first." Minhyuk waves a test tube around like it's not filled with an unknown chemical and Kihyun leans back in his chair as far as he can. "And then that one." He points at the test tube Kihyun's carefully holding onto with both hands because he doesn't want to die.

"No," Kihyun argues. "She clearly said to pour mine first. Then yours. I clearly remember, because I always come before you in everything."

Stubborn Minhyuk doesn't look convinced. "You can't be better than me in math, since apparently you can't even count. 179 cm is taller than 170, a 2-year-old would know that. Besides, are you going to be responsible if you blow this handsome face off?" He gestures at his face with his free hand.

"First of all, your face couldn't get any worse than it already is. Secondly, if we do as I say, nothing will blow up. Thirdly, I'm not 170 cm!"

Minhyuk opens his mouth to object, but there's a loud gasp and then a shout from the other side of the classroom and everyone turns in their seats to see what's going on.

Jooheon and Changkyun have managed to spill their chemicals and Jooheon is jumping up and down, hysterically screeching "Get it off me! Get it off!". Changkyun is laughing and pointing at him, hand clutching at his stomach.

The teacher calmly steps up to them and puts a hand on Jooheon's shoulder to get him to stop waving his arms around, which are dangerously close to a shelf of mystery liquids. "It's nothing too dangerous, don't worry. Did you get some on you?"

Jooheon looks like he's about to cry as he holds his hand up to the teacher. She takes a quick look, then leads him to the sink and instructs him to wash it off, before turning back to the class. "Alright everyone, get back to your own tasks. He'll be fine. And remember, put the purple liquid first."

Kihyun smirks at Minhyuk and holds up his test tube. "What did I say?"

Minhyuk looks like he still wants to argue, but then just huffs and motions for Kihyun to pour his chemical first. When Kihyun looks closer, there's a tiny hint of a smile on Minhyuk's lips.

 

The bus ride home from school would be a lot more enjoyable if Minhyuk didn't live in the same apartment complex as Kihyun, causing them to take the same bus home most days. At least Kihyun can go to school in peace in the mornings, since Minhyuk always takes a later bus.

The bus is crowded as usual and Kihyun tries not to bump into Minhyuk standing next to him every time the bus turns or brakes. He desperately hangs onto the strap and tells himself it's a good workout as his muscles strain at the effort of trying not to sway into the other boy during a particularly sharp turn. Unfortunately, Minhyuk stumbles into him instead and puts a hand on his shoulder to steady himself.

Kihyun can't exactly complain about it -- he's had to hold onto Minhyuk before, strictly in emergencies only -- but instead of taking his hand off his shoulder like he usually does, Minhyuk keeps it there way longer than necessary. The bus is running smoothly now, so there's no reason for Minhyuk to touch him. Kihyun looks down and sees that Minhyuk's feet are firmly planted on the floor, keeping him balanced. He looks back up at the other boy's face, but his gaze is focused outside the window, looking like he is completely unaware of what he's doing. Why isn't he removing his hand? Does he need to tell him to do it?

The bus suddenly brakes and Kihyun, caught off guard, stumbles forward. A strong arm catches him and pulls him upright before he face-plants into the lap of the older lady sitting in front of him.

"Got you," Minhyuk mutters by his ear.

Kihyun shudders at the feeling of Minhyuk's breath on his skin and he can only breathe out a 'thanks'.

Minhyuk goes back to staring out the window, but his arm stays around Kihyun the rest of the bus ride.

 

The impossible has happened.

Kihyun struggles for air as he climbs onto the bus and goes to hang his limp body on a strap. This bus is more crowded than his usual early one, and he dearly wishes there was a free seat somewhere because his legs feel like spaghetti, but no such luck.

"You're late."

And so the bad day got worse. Kihyun glances up at Minhyuk coming to stand next to him, a surprised look on his face that soon turns sly as he takes in Kihyun's frazzled appearance.

"Don't tell me you overslept."

Overslept is exactly what Kihyun did, but he's not about to give Lee Minhyuk the satisfaction of knowing that invincible model student Yoo Kihyun forgot to turn on his alarm before going to bed last night. He gives Minhyuk a nonchalant shrug -- or rather, tries to. His body still hasn't regained its strength from the unexpected morning workout of sprinting to the bus stop. He sways limply where he's hanging onto the strap with both hands when the bus turns. He doesn't even have strength to care about bumping into Minhyuk. "I just wanted to try taking the later bus," he says. "See what's it's all about since so many people take it. Can't say I understand why, though. My bus is way less crowded."

"You look like you've run a marathon," Minhyuk comments, looking him up and down. "How out of shape are you? The bus stop is like five minutes from the apartment."

"I'm not out of shape," Kihyun protests and straightens up to make his point. His neck is uncomfortably sweaty and he cringes at the thought of having to stay in these clothes the rest of the day.

"Sure you're not," Minhyuk placates him. "The reason you're huffing and puffing and sweating like you're in a sauna is because it's so terribly hot outside today. Absolutely sweltering." He pretends to fan himself with his hand.

"Exactly." Kihyun peers out the window at the overcast sky which makes the world look just as chilly as it feels.

"Uh-huh."

"I'm not out of shape," Kihyun repeats, indignant. "I can do the same amount of chin-ups as you." He's referring to the informal competition the two of them had once in PE.

"After you build yourself a sand mountain to reach the bar, Shorty."

"My height has nothing to do with being in shape!"

"No, but it does have everything to do with you being a good armrest." To make his point, Minhyuk rests his pointy elbow on Kihyun's shoulder. Annoyed, Kihyun shrugs him off.

The bus stops and more people get on, pushing Kihyun and Minhyuk closer together. Minhyuk puts his arm back on Kihyun's shoulder.

"This is cozy. You should oversleep more often and take this bus with me," Minhyuk says into Kihyun's ear.

Kihyun really wants to step away from him, but there are other people all around him and there's nowhere to go. He turns his head to Minhyuk to object, but finds his face way too close so he quickly looks away again. "I told you I didn't oversleep. And I'm never taking this bus again if it means I have to endure standing next to you for 20 minutes first thing in the morning. Taking the same bus home is torture enough."

"I know what you mean." Minhyuk leans even closer and makes a show of sniffing Kihyun. "It's torture standing next to someone reeking of sweat like you do."

Kihyun is horrified at that remark, and not only because it was rude. He really shouldn't have run so hard for the bus, but he didn't want to miss it and be late for school. "Do I really smell?" he asks Minhyuk seriously.

"Yes," Minhyuk says simply. Kihyun can't tell if he's being honest or not.

He tries to smell himself, but can't really tell. "I have to wear this all day. Is it really that bad?"

"It's awful," Minhyuk confirms with a somber nod.

He looks at Minhyuk, trying to tell if he means it or not. The other boy just looks back at him, expression inscrutable. Kihyun lets out a deep sigh, figuring it's best to believe him and try to do something about it, to be on the safe side. Maybe he'll have time to go to the restroom and wash his armpits before class starts. If only he was friends with Shin Hoseok. That guy always smells good, he probably brings cologne with him everyday and sprays it between classes. He wishes he could ask him if he can borrow some. Maybe he would lend it to him, on the basis that they sit next to each other and Hoseok is the one who has to endure his smell all day.

The bus is approaching the school and Kihyun checks his watch. There's not much time before the first class starts. What is he going to do?

As if sensing his dilemma, Minhyuk pats his head. "Don't worry. It's not like the girls pay you any attention anyway. Who cares if you smell like a dumpster? Won't make a difference."

Kihyun pushes Minhyuk's hand away and glares at him. How dare he make his day even worse by bringing up such a sensitive topic? He might not have a girlfriend right now -- or ever -- but it's purely by choice and not due to lack of offers or opportunities. Probably. But Minhyuk doesn't need to know that. "I could make the girls pay plenty of attention to me if I wanted them to! I just choose to focus on studying, like every other responsible third-year student."

"Sure, if you say so."

"I'm more popular than you think!"

Minhyuk raises an eyebrow in question. "And exactly how popular do I think you are?"

"Well- I- I'm more popular than you, anyhow," Kihyun stutters unattractively.

Minhyuk offers him a sympathetic smile, looking like he's about to break some important news to him, like that his dog has died. "Kihyun, you might think it's cool being the top student in our year. But with that face? Keep dreaming. Girls only care about smart boys if they're also handsome -- like me."

"You're hardly smart," Kihyun scoffs. "You're number 54."

"But I have the looks to make up for it."

"I'm good-looking too."

Minhyuk grins. "' _Too_ '? So you admit I am?"

Kihyun stares at him dumbly. "What?"

"You said that you are good-looking, too, which means you think I am also good-looking."

"I never said that," Kihyun sputters in a hurry to explain himself. He has a feeling this will be one of those things he's carelessly said and which Minhyuk will misinterpret unnecessarily and never let him hear the end of. "That's not what I meant, it's just a way of speaking- you know what I meant."

"Yoo Kihyun thinks I am handsome," Minhyuk sing-songs.

"No I don't!" Kihyun protests as the bus is coming to a stop and students start to get off. "Don't twist my words!"

"Don't grimace. It's not a good look on you," Minhyuk comments before he steps off the bus, Kihyun at his heels.

"Even if I'm grimacing I'm way more handsome than you," Kihyun retorts.

"Have you seen yourself in a mirror?" Minhyuk asks. "You're so not handsome." He suddenly thrusts a hand out and grabs the arm of a student entering the school gates at the same time as them. "My friend Hyungwon, here, is handsome, however."

Kihyun recognizes the boy as one of the popular guys from another class. Kihyun himself has never been able to understand why he's so popular though. Sure, he's tall and has got model proportions, but he's just too skinny. And his face is much too pretty for a boy. Small face, large eyes and thick lips. If his hair was longer it would be easy to mistake him for a girl. He's not surprised Minhyuk is friends with him though -- attractive people tend to stick together.

He checks the time and leaves the boys behind without a parting word as he hurries to a restroom. He still has time to do something about the smell. He takes off his uniform jacket and hangs it over a stall door when he notices something in his pocket. He sticks his hand inside and it comes out with a small bottle of cologne and a note hastily scribbled on a torn piece of notebook paper. He has no idea when or how Minhyuk managed to put it there, but he's thankful all the same.

_ 'You don't stink, but use it if you want.' _

Kihyun puts the note back in the pocket but keeps the bottle. He's not sure he can trust Minhyuk on this; after all, he told him in the bus that he does stink. Maybe it's a trick, and Minhyuk wants Kihyun to believe he doesn't smell and then go around school all day leaving a stinky trail? Does he want to risk being smelly, or does he want to be in Lee Minhyuk's debt for using the cologne?

He checks his watch again and notices that he doesn't have much time until class starts. He makes his decision. He sprays some of the cologne on himself, noting the pleasant scent. It smells good. Like Minhyuk. He doesn't have time to dwell on that fact, though, because time is ticking. He rushes to the classroom, arriving just in time. Changkyun looks up in surprise when Kihyun slides into his chair.

"I thought you were sick or something," Changkyun says. "You're so late, did something happen?"

"I was in the library until now," Kihyun lies. He could tell the truth to Changkyun, but there are ears all around them and you never know who's listening. Kihyun the Almighty does not oversleep, ever. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Hoseok looking at him curiously from his desk next to him. Yep, ears everywhere.

Luckily, Changkyun easily believes him and Kihyun almost feels bad. That is, until the boy opens his mouth, frowning. "Why are you wearing cologne?"

"Is it obvious?" Kihyun lowers his voice into a whisper, because the teacher enters the classroom at that moment.

"From this close? Yeah."

"Is it bad?" Kihyun wonders anxiously. Perhaps this was a bad idea after all.

Changkyun shakes his head, alleviating Kihyun's worries with his next words, "No. Just unusual. It's nice."

The teacher calls for their attention and class starts, putting a stop to all the chatter and pulling Kihyun into a riveting lecture on the European Middle Ages.

 

"Why do you smell like Lee Minhyuk?"

Kihyun almost trips over his own feet when Jooheon presses close to loudly sniff him. They're walking to lunch together and the hallway is crowded. Kihyun gathers himself and shushes Jooheon. Someone could have heard him.

"What are you talking about?" he hisses.

"I sit next to Minhyuk in class," Jooheon explains matter-of-factly. "You smell just like him. Are you wearing his cologne?"

"I- I am not- Why would I be wearing his cologne? That's ridiculous."

"But you are wearing cologne," Jooheon insists, and Kihyun inwardly curses his friend for being so stubborn. "Did you buy the same kind? Why? You never wear cologne."

"It's a sample I got from a store," Kihyun lies, hoping it'll be enough to convince Jooheon.

His friend still looks doubtful, but relents. "If you say so."

 

Kihyun's walking through the produce section of his local supermarket on the hunt for the spring onion his mother sent him out to buy, when he stumbles upon the cucumbers. He's not sure why he stops, but when he takes one in hand, he remembers hearing about Lee Minhyuk hating cucumbers. Chuckling to himself, Kihyun puts in his shopping basket.

The next morning, he carves 'thanks' into the cucumber with a knife, then puts it in his bag with Minhyuk's cologne. When he arrives at school, nice and early, he hurries to Minhyuk's desk to place both the cucumber and the cologne in it.

Twenty minutes later, during the teacher's explanation of some math formula, Kihyun revels in the horrified screech coming from the back of the class. Minhyuk must have found his thank you gift.

 

The moment class ends, Minhyuk is slapping the cucumber down on Kihyun's desk. He wants to laugh, but he forces his features into a look of innocence and glances up at a fuming Minhyuk.

"What is this?" Kihyun points at the vegetable like he has never seen a cucumber before.

"If you want to thank me, you should buy me pizza," Minhyuk growls, ignoring his question.

"Thank you? For what?" Kihyun asks innocently. "And why would I buy _you _ pizza? I'd rather buy pizza for the whole school, than buy it for you."

Minhyuk looks almost offended for a second, but he schools his features into a wry smile. "You should thank me for lending you my cologne so you would not smell like a homeless person who hasn't showered in days. And you should buy me pizza, because I like it."

"But you see, Minhyuk, I did not use your cologne," Kihyun lies, mimicking his smile. "Because I found out that I didn't actually smell like you said I did."

"Hoseok told me you smelled like my cologne," Minhyuk argues.

Kihyun's smile slips. "Hoseok? Why would he..." he starts, but then remembers the curious look the boy had given him in class yesterday. He must have been able to smell him since they sit close to each other. He'd forgotten he's friends with Minhyuk, but Minhyuk's friends with half the school, so Kihyun can't be expected to remember every one of them.

Minhyuk puts both hands on Kihyun's desk and leans in close to his ear to whisper to him, "Buy me pizza or I'll tell everyone about us having a couple scent."

Kihyun wants to yell at him that his threats don't work on him, there's no way they have a _couple scent_ , he only used his cologne once, but Minhyuk's close proximity makes him feel short of breath and no words come out.

Minhyuk steps away and leaves the classroom, but not before giving Kihyun a self-satisfied smirk over his shoulder, looking like he knows exactly how he makes Kihyun feel. Which is a great feat, because Kihyun himself doesn't know.

"I'm not buying you-" he shouts after he regains his voice, but Minhyuk is long gone.

 

Kihyun violently tears into his pizza, stuffing his mouth full of it so he won't be tempted to speak his mind on how incredibly wrong this is.

"You look like a hamster," Minhyuk comments with a laugh. "So cute!"

Kihyun swallows with difficulty and grumbles out, "I'm not cute," then adds as an afterthought, "and I don't look like a hamster."

"Yes you do, Tiny, with your cheeks all stuffed full like that," Minhyuk counters, taking a large bite of his own pizza.

"Well you look like a famished hyena," Kihyun says.

"I was going for the puppy look." Minhyuk pouts his lips and blinks his eyes cutely at him.

Kihyun laughs. "You look ridiculous."

"Ridiculous in an adorable way."

"Just ridiculous."

Something catches Minhyuk's attention and he starts waving widely. "Hey, Shownu, my man!"

Kihyun looks over, horrified, as he recognizes the waiter approaching them as their school's swim team champion Son Hyunwoo. Kihyun doesn't know him, but he apparently knows Minhyuk and now he'll see the two of them eating pizza, together, after school. If this guy is anything like Minhyuk, the rumors will be all over school tomorrow and Kihyun's life will be over. He cannot be seen with Minhyuk in public, it would be the death of him and his reputation. He grabs the menu from its stand on the edge of their table and hides his face behind it, hoping Hyunwoo hasn't seen or recognized him yet.

"Get me a cola, will you?" Minhyuk orders when Hyunwoo gets to their table. "Yoo Kihyun, do you want anything?" Minhyuk snatches the menu from Kihyun's death grip and puts it away. There went his last hope.

Kihyun glances up and sees Hyunwoo looking back down at him with a blank look on his face. He can't tell if he recognizes him or not, or if he knows who he is, but Minhyuk said his name, so now he at least knows that. His life is over and he can't believe he spent his last hour with Lee Minhyuk.

"Anything for you?" Hyunwoo asks in a robotic voice. Kihyun dumbly shakes his head. Hyunwoo nods once and walks away without a word.

When the waiter is out of earshot, Kihyun glares across the table at Minhyuk. "If you knew he works here, you should have told me. We could have gone somewhere else, where no one from school would see us."

Minhyuk flinches a bit, as if hurt by his words, but he was probably just surprised by Kihyun suddenly talking, because his face is back to neutral in a second. "I wanted to go here because he works here and because I like this place. He'll give us discounts."

"But he saw us, _together_. Will he tell someone? What if he tells someone! I can't be seen with you, this is a disaster." Kihyun's starting to panic, abandoning his pizza altogether in favor of nervously fidgeting with a tissue.

Minhyuk is quiet for a moment, then says in a low voice, "Do you really hate me that much? So much you don't even want to be seen with me?"

Kihyun gives him an incredulous look, then states in a matter-of-fact tone, "Everyone knows we hate each other." That strange look of almost hurt is back on Minhyuk's face, but Kihyun ignores it and continues on, "What will people think if that guy starts going around telling people he saw us here?"

"Don't worry, he won't tell anyone. Hyunwoo's a nice guy." Minhyuk looks like he wants to say something more, but he quietly goes back to his pizza. As if on cue, Hyunwoo returns with Minhyuk's cola and places it on their table without a word. Just as wordlessly he leaves to go back to his work.

Kihyun decides to trust Minhyuk for once and should be relived that he apparently won't be the topic of conversation at school tomorrow, but looking at Minhyuk's downcast eyes as he slowly chews the pizza he ate with such gusto before makes him feel bad. He's not used to this Minhyuk -- this sad-looking, quiet boy sitting slumped in a chair in front of him, staring out the window but looking like he doesn't see anything. In that moment, Kihyun thinks he looks very much like a kicked puppy and he just wants to rub his belly and make him wag his tail again.

Kihyun tries to think of something to say, something they could talk about, but he realizes he knows nothing about Minhyuk and has no idea what his interests are. So he goes for the one thing they do have in common: chemistry. "Did you do the chemistry homework?"

"Not yet," Minhyuk says in between chews. He doesn't look at Kihyun.

"You know the teacher will give me shit, too, if you don't do it, since we're partners," Kihyun points out, a tad impatiently.

"Don't worry, I'll do it tonight." Minhyuk turns his head to take a gulp of his cola and briefly glances up at Kihyun. He then adds in such a quiet voice Kihyun barely hears him, "I always do chemistry homework even if I don't do anything else."

Kihyun realizes it's true. Minhyuk might not look like it, be he always seems to put in a lot of effort in chemistry. They've always received the highest grades in their pair works and the teacher always praises them on their homework. Kihyun just assumed that Minhyuk happened to be interested in chemistry or was just naturally good at it, but he's suddenly not so sure. He doesn't know how to ask him about it, so he just says, "You shouldn't skip homework for the other classes. The history teacher's getting annoyed with you."

Minhyuk sighs and finally turns to look at Kihyun fully. "I'm just bad with remembering years and what happened when. Why should I know what some random dude did in the 16th century? The past is the past. Nothing will change whether I know about it or not. Isn't the future more important? At least I can still change that."

"I find it interesting, though. Isn't it fascinating to think of how humanity has advanced over the years? The world was so different back then, but the people were still people, just like us. They had the same thoughts and feelings and interests..."

"I doubt gaming was a common interest 500 years ago," Minhyuk points out.

"You like gaming?"

"Sure." Minhyuk shrugs his shoulders like he couldn't care less, but he's smiling again. "Nowadays I play mostly Overwatch."

Kihyun can't help but smile back, feeling relieved now that the other boy is finally back to his usual sunny self. "I've heard the name, but I have no idea what that game is about," he confesses.

"You don't play any games?" Minhyuk wonders.

"No, but I sometimes watch Changkyun and Jooheon kill each other. Or kill other people. I don't know. There's always lots of shooting and shouting involved."

"Overwatch is fun. I think you might like it. I could show you sometime," Minhyuk suggests.

"Yeah, sure," Kihyun agrees before he realizes he just agreed to hang out with Minhyuk again. That is, if Minhyuk was being serious right now. He might have said it without realizing it himself, an innocent offer that he doesn't ever plan on following up on. However, the mood is good right now, comfortable, and Kihyun doesn't want to ruin it by bringing it up. A few moments later, Minhyuk starts talking about music and they find out they like some of the same artists. The promise of Minhyuk teaching Kihyun how to play games is mostly forgotten.

 

"No, it's supposed to be like this." Kihyun erases the sloppy lines Minhyuk's drawn and adds his own ruler-straight ones going in the right directions along with some letters. They're tasked with drawing the structural formulas of different chemical compounds. Right now, Kihyun wonders how he ever thought Minhyuk has a natural talent for chemistry. The numerous lessons they've had so far this semester have proved the exact opposite.

"Really?" Minhyuk asks, sounding like he has no idea what they're doing. "Why are there two lines between the C and O? All other letters have only one line. It's clearly wrong."

"No, it's not wrong. I know this. And there are two lines because there's supposed to be two lines, okay?"

"But why?" Minhyuk insists.

"Because- because the book says so." Kihyun points at his chemistry textbook lying open on the table in front of him.

Minhyuk scoffs. "So there _is _ something even Yoo Kihyun -- model student, rank number one -- doesn't know." He laughs and mimics Kihyun's voice, "Because the book says so."

Kihyun narrows his eyes in a warning at him. "Chemistry might not be my strongest subject, but at least I know how to read and remember what I've read. It doesn't matter if I don't fully understand it, as long as I know how to do it right."

Minhyuk slaps a hand over his mouth in an exaggerated display of shock. "I should have recorded that. Yoo Kihyun just admitted there's something he doesn't understand!"

"If you put as much effort in your studying as you do in your acting, perhaps you wouldn't be rank number 54," Kihyun points out.

"You know, it's really interesting how you remember my rank. I didn't point it out when you mentioned it on the bus the other day, but one could almost think you've paid attention to me."

Kihyun goes stiff. "I don't pay attention to you," he sputters. "I already told you, I remember what I've read. That's all."

"So you've read the whole list of everyone's ranks?"

"I was looking for my friends' ranks."

"And what are theirs?" Minhyuk questions.

Kihyun frantically searches his memory. "Uh... they are... Jooheon's number... um..."

"You don't remember?" Minhyuk taunts him.

"Of course I remember. There's just no reason for you to know," Kihyun shoots back. "It's private."

"Yeah, the ranks are sooo private, Number One. Only the whole school can see them whenever they're put up on giant billboards." Minhyuk nudges Kihyun in the side with his elbow. "Just admit it, you've looked for my rank."

Kihyun swats his arm away. "Okay, I admit it. I wanted to know how much you suck."

"Everyone's first priority is not to get perfect grades all the time, Mr Model Student," Minhyuk sighs. "And everyone's not a natural at studying. Some people might have trouble concentrating for longer periods of time," he adds in a quieter voice.

"Well," Kihyun starts, but he closes his mouth when the mood between them turns weird and serious again. He doesn't know what to do with this kind of Minhyuk, this vulnerable-looking boy who suddenly looks embarrassed, as if he admitted something he hadn't planned to do. Kihyun decides to change the topic; they're in class after all. "Next one, glucose. You wanna try first?"

Minhyuk looks unwilling to pick up his pencil, so Kihyun picks it up for him and places it in his hand. "I'll help you out, come on." He points at a spot on the paper. "Write a C here."

 

"Yoo Kihyun, Yoo Kihyun!" Jooheon and Changkyun cheer loudly behind Kihyun as he prepares for his turn at long jump.

"Those short legs won't even get him 3 meters," Minhyuk says to his long-legged posse somewhere on his right, loud enough for the whole class to hear.

"Don't listen to him, Kihyun!" Jooheon shouts, louder than Minhyuk. "Show them what those legs are made of!"

"Well, it's not length, at least!" Minhyuk's cronies laugh like hyenas, but Minhyuk's the loudest of them all.

Kihyun swivels in his spot to glare at them all. "Would you all shut up already! I'm trying to jump here!" he yells.

The sports field goes quiet at his outburst and the teacher awkwardly clears his throat. "Okay, everyone, please focus. Kihyun, you're the last one."

Red in the face from both anger and embarrassment, Kihyun takes a breath, then runs and jumps.

The teacher announces his record and Kihyun puffs out his chest in pride as he struts by a stunned Minhyuk. "Better luck next time, loser," he shoots over his shoulder at the gaping boy.

"You won over Lee Minhyuk!" Jooheon gasps when Kihyun stands next to him.

Changkyun gives him a high five. "The small are strong," his same-height friend says.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kihyun can see Minhyuk begging the teacher for another chance at jumping, but they're out of time and the teacher orders them to go change out of their gym clothes and get ready for their next class.

 

"It's was just luck," Minhyuk says as he bumps -- hard and on purpose -- into Kihyun in the locker room. "That's all. I could easily win over you if I actually tried."

Kihyun bumps him back, just as hard. "Why didn't you try then, you lazy ass."

"Lazy?" Minhyuk huffs out, looking miffed. He makes a wide, sweeping gesture in front of his body. "Does this look lazy to you? This work of art?"

There's a snort from behind them and they both turn to look at a buff, shirtless Hoseok regarding them both with a look full of amusement. "We weren't talking to you," Minhyuk mutters and turns back to Kihyun.

Kihyun exaggerates the way he pointedly looks Minhyuk up and down, then looks at Hoseok's muscular body again. "I'm not sure how to break it to you, Minhyuk, but I'm afraid you might be a bit delusional." He pats Minhyuk's shoulder twice in comfort. "But it's okay, if that's what makes you feel good about your body..."

"Anyone will look... less muscular... next to Hoseok. The guy wants to be a bodybuilder. But I'm not that bad either! I'm the athletic type."

Kihyun nods, a fake smile on his lips. "Not having abs is totally okay, Minhyuk. Nothing worth losing sleep over."

Minhyuk reaches out and places a hand on Kihyun's stomach. "As if you have abs!"

Kihyun can't help the self-satisfied smirk that slips onto his lips. "Well, as a matter of fact..."

Minhyuk's eyes widen as he keeps touching Kihyun through his thin shirt. "No way, you don't- you can't-"

"I can't what? Have abs?" Kihyun holds his arms out to his sides. "Who am I? I'm Yoo Kihyun!"

Minhyuk removes his hand only to lift Kihyun's shirt up. Kihyun freezes up in shock before he remembers he does have something to show off now and he flexes his abs proudly. There's not much there, they're barely defined, but they show. Kihyun's worked hard for them. He might as well let Minhyuk see them.

"No way!" Minhyuk exclaims as he stares in awe at Kihyun. He pokes at Kihyun's belly and it causes Kihyun to draw in a breath.

"It tickles," Kihyun complains and swats Minhyuk's probing fingers away, letting the shirt fall back down. "So, what did you say about me having abs, huh?"

Minhyuk still looks stunned and his ears are a little red. "How? When? When do you have time to work out if all you do is study?"

"I don't spend _all _ my free time studying, obviously. I need something to distract myself with sometimes, too."

"I can see that," Minhyuk mumbles. "It's very distracting."

Kihyun turns back to him from the gym bag he was searching through looking for his towel. "Sorry?"

"I was just saying I could get abs too if I wanted."

"Sure you could."

"Of course!"

"Yes, like I said, I'm sure you could. Anyone can. Doesn't mean everyone needs abs."

Minhyuk's head snaps up at this and he asks softly, "What do you mean?"

They stare at each other and Kihyun can feel an awkward, tense atmosphere settling over them. He bites his lower lip. "I meant what I said," he finally says, just as softly as Minhyuk. Then he grabs Jooheon who's walking by them, and continues in his normal voice. "Just like Jooheon here is perfect just the way he is!" He pinches Jooheon's squishy cheeks and the boy squirms out of his hold.

"What's wrong with you?" Jooheon demands to know, but he's smiling at Kihyun.

"I'm just telling you you're perfect, what's wrong with that?"

Jooheon's smile is replaced by a look of suspicion. "What do you want from me?"

"Nothing," Kihyun tells him truthfully. "Why would I want something from you?"

"Did you forget your lunch again? I'm not giving you mine. I'm dying of hunger here." As if on cue, Jooheon's stomach growls loudly.

Kihyun sighs exasperatedly. "No, I didn't forget it. Why don't you just accept my compliment?"

"Because Yoo Kihyun doesn't just walk around throwing out compliments to people without wanting something in return." Jooheon seems to get an idea then. "Is this about your abs? Do they finally show? Do you want me to praise you for them? I still don't get why you're so insistent on getting abs. You complain every day about how tiring it is to work out. Who are you doing it for?"

Kihyun slaps a hand over Jooheon's mouth. "I'm not doing it for anyone," he quickly tells him.

Jooheon pushes his hand away and grins. "You didn't use to care about exercising at all. You're getting abs because you want to look good for someone, I know it."

"No I don't! Being healthy is important. I'm doing it for me."

"Even if it exhausts you every night?" Jooheon questions, eyebrow raised in doubt. "You sure that's healthy?"

Kihyun looks around them to see if anyone's listening. Minhyuk has his back to them. Luckily, he doesn't look like he's listening. "Just drop it, Jooheon," Kihyun says, turning back to his friend.

Jooheon looks behind Kihyun, then gives him a _look_. Kihyun doesn't like that look. Jooheon nods his chin in the direction of Minhyuk and mouths, "Him?"

Kihyun blanches and shushes Jooheon with a finger to his mouth. "No! What are you thinking?"

"Really? Him?" Jooheon bursts out laughing. "I knew it! Changkyun! I was right!" He turns around and goes searching for their other friend, leaving Kihyun alone and red in the face. He chances a look over his shoulder. Minhyuk is still standing as still as he did earlier, with his back to Kihyun. Good. Kihyun hopes he didn't pay attention to what he and Jooheon were talking about. Not that it matters. Because Kihyun got the abs for himself only, regardless of what Jooheon tried to imply. And even if he did get abs to look good for someone, it would not be Lee Minhyuk. Never.

Minhyuk suddenly looks up and meets Kihyun's eyes. Kihyun whips around and wills the blush down that suddenly springs to his cheeks. Why is he blushing? It must be hot in the locker room. That's why. He quickly changes his clothes without even showering and leaves the locker room in a rush.

 

"Is this becoming a habit of yours?" Minhyuk asks Kihyun in the bus on the way home after school. "Stinking up the bus with your sweat."

After not showering after PE, Kihyun regretted it the whole day and now he's once again reminded of that fact as Minhyuk so kindly points it out. He's tired, however, and doesn't feel like arguing with him right now. "Go stand somewhere else if you don't want to smell me."

Minhyuk doesn't move. "Why didn't you shower? Do you like the feeling of being all grimy?"

"I was too hungry. I went to eat lunch."

"Hm..." Minhyuk nods as if in understanding, then says, "You were out of the locker room so fast it was like you were running away from something. You were just hungry, huh?"

"Yeah."

They stand in silence for a while, then Minhyuk speaks up again, "Is something wrong?"

Kihyun looks up at Minhyuk's sincere tone. "No. Why?"

"You just seem, I don't know, tired? You're not talking back to me."

"I am tired."

"Okay." Minhyuk leaves him alone at that. He doesn't move away, but he stays quiet by his side for the rest of the bus ride. Kihyun's surprised at how comfortable his silent presence is. It's a lot more enjoyable than when that annoying, big mouth of his goes on and on about something without ever shutting up. He didn't know Minhyuk could keep quiet for so long. He turns to look at his profile gazing out the window. He needs a hair cut soon he notices; his straight, black hair is almost hanging in his eyes.

As if sensing he's being looked at, Minhyuk turns his head a bit to meet Kihyun's gaze. Kihyun's too tired to look away, so they continue staring at each other for a moment longer. He can't tell what Minhyuk is thinking, his blank face doesn't give any emotions away. Finally, Minhyuk's features relax into a small smile, then he turns away to look outside again.

 

Later that evening after he's eaten dinner, Kihyun can feel the start of a cold. He's only got a little bit of homework left, but his head feels heavy and his body is lethargic, so he can't concentrate. With a sigh, he gets up from his desk and goes out into the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea.

His mom, upon hearing him in the kitchen, comes in to check on him. "Are you okay, Kihyun? You were quiet at dinner tonight."

"I think I'm getting a cold, but I was fine earlier today."

He lets his mom put her hand to his forehead to check his temperature. "Colds can be sudden. You feel a bit warm. Why don't you go to bed early tonight and then see how you feel tomorrow morning? I'll call the school for you if you're feeling worse."

Kihyun purses his lips in a pout. "I have chemistry tomorrow. I can't be sick."

His mom pulls the zipper of his sweater up to his neck. "I didn't know you like chemistry. Won't it be fine to miss it once?"

"I don't like it. But Minhyuk- The guy I'm paired up with is really bad at it. I have to help him. He'll bring my grade down too."

"One day won't make much of a difference, I'm sure," his mom placates him. "And maybe you'll feel better tomorrow? Drink your tea and go to bed early, okay?"

 

Kihyun does not feel better the next morning. He drags himself out of bed and stumbles his way to the kitchen table for breakfast. His nose is stuffy and his throat sore. His body feels like it's aged 50 years overnight.

His mom puts bowls of rice and soup in front of him. "How are you feeling?"

"Bad," Kihyun rasps out.

His mom checks his temperature with a hand to his forehead again. "I think you might have a slight fever. I'll call the school for you. Can you eat? Try to drink the soup at least. I'll make you some tea."

"Don't call the school, I wanna go," Kihyun tries to tell her, but she's already on the phone. As he drinks a bit of the soup, he wonders if Minhyuk will be okay on his own in chemistry. He hopes he doesn't blow something up.

 

Kihyun wakes up from his nap to the sound of the door bell, followed by voices. He groggily opens his eyes when there's a knock on his door and his mom's voice as she opens it.

"Kihyun, are you awake? There's a classmate here for you."

"Changkyun?" Kihyun asks. His mom knows him, though, and Changkyun would just come right in. His question is soon answered by Lee Minhyuk's obnoxious voice ringing out into his room.

"It's me!"

"Ugh," Kihyun groans and struggles to sit up. "Mom, why did you let him in?"

"I'll leave you two alone," comes his mom's reply before she closes the door.

"I heard you were sick," Minhyuk says conversationally and swivels his desk chair around to face Kihyun before he sits. "I came to see how you were doing. Chemistry sucked, I didn't understand anything. But don't blame me if your grade goes down; you're the one who weren't there."

Kihyun's too tired to do anything but silently stare at Minhyuk, who seems to be full of energy for both of them. His leg bobs up and down in the chair before he jumps up and walks around the room.

"So this is Yoo Kihyun's room. Do you have anything embarrassing here for me to find?" He stops in front of his bookshelf and picks up a photo of a young Kihyun all muddy and dirty at a playground. "Is this you? You were so cute, what happened?"

"I grew up, unlike someone."

"You mean I'm still cute? Thanks, I know."

"I meant you're still childish."

Minhyuk puts the photo back and gives Kihyun a once-over. "You look awful. Seriously, what happened?"

"I got sick. Everyone looks bad when they're sick." Kihyun coughs, but doesn't bother covering his mouth.

Minhyuk puts his arms up in front of his face in defense against his flying germs. "Don't make me sick too, Tiny."

"Sorry, I didn't know stupid people can get sick." Kihyun looks around his room and finds Minhyuk's backpack on the floor inside the door. "Did you bring me anything?"

"What would I bring you?" Minhyuk wonders, voice honest. "Was I supposed to?"

Kihyun blows his nose in a tissue before answering, "Who visits a sick person without bringing them anything?"

Minhyuk scratches his neck in thought. "I do?" He looks down at his bag. "I brought my homework, do you want to do it for me?"

Kihyun throws his balled-up tissue at Minhyuk. "You're supposed to bring flowers or food or drinks or something."

Minhyuk laughs. "Do you want flowers from me?"

Kihyun glares at him. "It was just an example. I like ice cream when I'm sick. Bring me that next time."

"Next time?" Minhyuk looks as flustered as Kihyun feels when he realizes what he said.

"I meant- Next time you visit a sick person, bring them ice cream. Even if they don't feel like eating anything else, ice cream might be okay," Kihyun hastily explains.

"Yeah, okay, I'll do that." Minhyuk looks awkwardly around his room once more, then at his watch. "I need to go home for dinner."

Kihyun nods, shooing him away with his hand. "Go."

"Yeah." Minhyuk nervously fidgets with the sleeves of his uniform jacket, teeth gnawing on his bottom lip. Then he takes a few quick steps forward to the bed and reaches out to pat down Kihyun's hair that's undoubtedly standing up in every which way from his nap. "That's better," he whispers, and smiles briefly at Kihyun. Kihyun can only look back up at him, once again too stunned by how close they are to speak.

Minhyuk's hands slide down to his shoulders and he looks so nervous and jumpy that Kihyun doesn't dare move. "Since I didn't bring you anything," Minhyuk finally says after what feels like an eternity of them staring at each other, "You can have this instead." Before Kihyun has time to react, Minhyuk's pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and sprinted out of his room. Two seconds later he pops back in for his bag, then he's gone again. Kihyun can hear him say bye to his mom and then the front door closing.

Kihyun slowly touches his fingers to his burning cheek. An uncontrollable smile stretches his lips wide and he dives under his blanket in embarrassment at his reaction. Why does he feel so warm and happy? It's Lee Minhyuk, the person he hates the most. He shouldn't make him feel like this. It's not right. Why Minhyuk out of all the people in the world?

He falls back asleep with the smile still on his lips.

 

Kihyun had to stay home from school on both Thursday and Friday, so when he's finally back on Monday, he's pretty much forgotten about the kiss. If anyone asked him what happened on Thursday, the only thing he would remember is that he was sick in bed most of the day. Did _who_ stop by? Oh, Lee Minhyuk! Maybe he did. What did they do? Just chatted for a while, what else? Kiss? The two of them? Never! It was barely a peck. Minhyuk's lips touched his cheek for a tenth of a second. He couldn't even feel it. Actually, it might just have been his imagination, his fever playing tricks on him...

"... and then Jooheon, like, totally freaked out." Kihyun has no idea what Changkyun is talking about. He's kept his eyes on the classroom door for the past ten minutes, but Minhyuk still hasn't shown up.

"I didn't freak out," Jooheon objects. "It was dark and the plastic bag was white like a ghost-"

"You screamed like a girl," Changkyun interrupts him, laughing.

"I did not!" Jooheon crosses his arms in front of his chest in annoyance, lower lip jutting out in a pout.

The classroom door opens and Kihyun jumps. Unfortunately, it's just the teacher, who tells the students to take their seats and starts class.

Minhyuk doesn't come to school that day.

 

"You look awful," Kihyun tells Minhyuk the moment his mother lets him into his room. "What happened to you?"

"I got sick. Everyone looks bad when they're sick, even me," Minhyuk rasps out. "It's all your fault. I shouldn't have visited you."

"Don't blame me for that, you came voluntarily." Kihyun takes a look around Minhyuk's room. He's got a fancy desktop computer and a large screen. The set-up takes up most of his desk. His school books have been relegated to the floor.

"Do you have anything for me?" Minhyuk asks, wrapping his blanket tighter around his shoulders.

Kihyun nods and opens his backpack. "I do, because I'm a decent person who doesn't visit sick people empty-handed." He takes out the portion-sized tub of ice cream he got from the convenience store earlier and hands it to Minhyuk along with the plastic spoon he got with it.

"Mango flavor?" Minhyuk looks up at him questioningly.

Kihyun shrugs. "Thought you'd like it."

"I do," Minhyuk confirms. "Thanks." He opens the ice cream and scoops a spoonful into his mouth, making a pleased sound. "This is good."

Kihyun pulls out his desk chair and sits down. Sitting by Minhyuk's computer reminds him of how Minhyuk promised to show him how to play Overwatch that day in the pizzeria. It feels so long ago somehow, but it's only been a few weeks. Back then he could have never imagined he would one day visit Minhyuk's room. He's not even here to play the game. He's just visiting because Minhyuk's sick and Minhyuk visited him when he was, and that was probably the reason Minhyuk got sick in the first place, so he feels sort of guilty about that.

He watches the small plastic spoon repeatedly pass in between Minhyuk's lips and it reminds him of the kiss. Neither of them has brought it up yet, and Kihyun doesn't know if they're ever going to. He doesn't want to be the first one to do it, so unless Minhyuk says something, he guesses it'll never be brought up, forever forgotten, taken to their graves.

"How was school?" Minhyuk asks after he's finished the ice cream and put the cup down next to his bed.

"Nice and quiet without your loud voice there to annoy me."

Minhyuk grins. "You mean boring?"

"No, I meant I could actually concentrate."

"Because my handsome face wasn't there to distract you."

Kihyun scoffs. "You, handsome? When did you last look in a mirror?"

Minhyuk pushes his messy bangs out of his eyes. "This morning, I think. But you're right, I do tend to avoid mirrors. My beauty blinds me."

Kihyun cringes at his words. "How you can say that kind of stuff with a straight face is beyond me."

Minhyuk winks at him, then sneezes loudly. He takes a tissue from his nightstand and noisily blows his nose. When he's done, he throws the tissue at Kihyun, like Kihyun had done to Minhyuk a few days earlier.

Kihyun jumps out of the chair to avoid it. "That's disgusting."

Minhyuk watches with amusement as Kihyun picks up the tissue with two fingers and locates the trash can, throwing it away, then asks, "So did you come here to hang out or something? 'Cause I'm kind of tired, since I'm sick and all. Not that I don't appreciate your visit, but you know. Maybe another time would be better."

"Uh, no, I just- I heard you were sick. And you visited me when I was, so... Sorry, I'll go now." He bends down to grab his backpack off the floor, but Minhyuk shoots a hand out from his blanket cocoon as if to stop him.

"Wait, you can stay a bit longer. I don't want to kick you out."

"You're not kicking me out, I'm voluntarily leaving."

Minhyuk pouts, blinking at him cutely. "We didn't even do anything. I just ate your ice cream."

"What else would we do?" Kihyun wonders. He's genuinely curious, since the two of them -- apart from a few times -- never do anything together on their own. Them visiting each other like this is unusual enough.

"Oh, I don't know..." Minhyuk mumbles, avoiding Kihyun's eyes.

Kihyun's suddenly reminded of the kiss again. Minhyuk's not expecting him to kiss him or anything, right? Is that what he meant by doing something? Kihyun's not going to kiss him, no way, so he just says, "I don't know either, so I'm gonna go now."

Minhyuk looks up at him and coughs into his blanket, then says in a low voice, "Wait. You've already been sick, right? And you were the one who made me sick. So you can't get this cold again."

The atmosphere in the room seems to shift suddenly and Kihyun nervously licks his dry lips. "What are you trying to say?"

Minhyuk's gaze focuses on Kihyun's lips for a moment, then back up at his eyes again. "I'm not sure. It's probably the fever talking."

"And what is the fever saying?" Kihyun urges kindly.

Minhyuk audibly swallows. He looks nervous and a bit scared, but his eyes don't waver as they look straight into Kihyun's. "It's asking if you want to come closer."

Kihyun's brain is telling him to retreat, grab his bag and leave the room before it's too late, but his body doesn't receive the signals, instead moves forward as if under a spell. He stops when he's standing right in front of Minhyuk. "I'm close now."

"Closer," Minhyuk mutters and reaches up to grab Kihyun's head with both hands and pull him down. He presses warm lips to his and Kihyun draws in a breath. He has to place his hands on Minhyuk's shoulders for balance.

Their lips move tentatively, timidly, against each other for a few moments, just lips against lips, before they both pull away.

Heart hammering in his chest, Kihyun opens his eyes to Minhyuk already peering back at him. They're so close he can barely see him properly, but neither of them makes a move to move away. "Is this only the fever talking?" Kihyun whispers against Minhyuk's lips after a few more moments of silence. He's not sure if he wants to hear the answer. What if Minhyuk says yes, and this kiss will be forgotten, never spoken of again. Or even worse, what if he says no, and this is the start of something. A starts of a them, which Kihyun isn't sure he's ready for. He's so used to Minhyuk being his sparring partner, he doesn't know how to handle him being something else. Besides, the whole school knows they hate each other. They can't be a _them_ , an _us_. They can't be _Minhyuk and Kihyun_ , two names spoken as one. They are meant to tease and mock each other. They-

Minhyuk twists a hand into his hair and pulls him into another kiss, after letting him know his answer, "No. I don't even have a fever."

Kihyun tries to remember his -- somewhat weak -- arguments for why they shouldn't be doing this, but as usual, being this close to Minhyuk makes him unable to concentrate so he just decides to go with it. For now.

 

<<<<>>>>


End file.
